Seesaw



May 14, 1940. E. J. GUERR| ER 2,201,036

SEESAW Filed Feb. 13, 1939 ATTORNEY Patenteld May 14, 1940 oni'reo srATes- SEESAW Edwin J. Guerrier, New Orleans, La. Application February 13, 1939, Serial No. 256,162

1 Claim.

This invention relates to seesaws. It is particularly directed to a seesaw which may be used and operated by one child. i

An object of this invention is 'to provide a seesaw of the Character described, provided with adjustable means to accommodate the seesaw to children of different weight.

A further object of this invention is to provide a strong, rugged and durable seesaw of the character described, which shalll be easy to adjust and operate, relatively inexpensve to manufacture, attractive in appearance, and withal prac-` tical and efiicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be ob-vious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the feai tures of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawing, in which isv Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, ll! designates a seesaw embodying the invention, which may be easily operated by a child, and which will provide healthful and muscle building exercise for the child. i

The seesaw id has a base comprising a pair of parallel, similar, front and rear base boards H and 52, the upper surfaces lwhereof are formed with central, aligned grocves Ha and iza to receive the front and rear ends of an elongated member 83, fixed to said boards by screws or in any other suitable. manner.

Fixed to the member E3 and located closer to the front of said member than to the rear thereof, is an upstanding post IE formed with a groove iii at its upper end, to provide a pair of parallel walls il The walls ll are formed with aligned openings IB to receive a horizontal pivot pin 18 traversing the groove l it On the pivot pin [8 is a metal sleeve or bushing w, for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

Pivoted to the pivot pin i, in a manner hereinafter appearing, is an elongated board 22. The board 22 fits within the groove it, and fixed to (C1. zna-55) the underside of said board is a channel shaped member' 23, rotatably receiving the sleeve or bash-- ing |9. The portion of the board 22, located rear- Ward` of 'the fulcrum E8, is preferably of greater length, than the portion of said board which is located forwardly of said fulcruin- Attached to the rear portion of the board `22 is a seat 25 .of any suitable construction. Fixed to theboard 22, forwardly of the seat 25, and extending upwardly therefrom, is a handle Ze adapted to be grasped by a child sitting on the seat 25. The front end of the board 22 is connected to the front end of member E3 by a spring 30, in the inanner vhereinafter appearing, to aid in raising the board 22 for lifting a child sitting on said seat 25 when the child pushes himself up.`

In order to accommodate children of different weight, there is attached to the forward end of member |3, a bracket 3! having a plurality of spaced humps 33. There is also attached to the underside of the forward end of the board 22; a bi'acket 34, similar to the bracket 3| and aligned therewith, and likewise provided with a plurality of spaced humps 35.

The spring 30 is preferably in the form of a coil tension spring, having hooks 3l at its outer ends to engage aligned pairs of` humps 33, 35.

It will now be understood that spring 30 may be shifted closer or further away from the fulcrum 18, to take care of children of different weight.

Means is furthermore provided to yieldingly brake the upward movement of a child on the seat 25. To this end, there is fixed to the board 13, a bracket fill; Said bracket 40 may be attached at one end to the upper end of the post |5 to reinforce the post. The. bracket 4B is provided With an aperture '3| to receive a U-shaped Wire member 42, having upwardly extending arms 43 provided with downwardly hooked portions 44 at their upper ends. Received on member 42 is a .Coil compression spring 45.

Fixed to the underside of the board 22 is an eyelet 41, and connected to the eyelet 47 is an inverted U-shaped member 43, similar to member 'Z, and having arms 49 extending downwardly through the coil 45, and provided at their lower ends with upwardly hooked portions 55). The coil compression spring 45 is interposed between the hooks 5B and the hooks 44.

It will now be understood that as the spring 30 pulls the front of the board 22 downwardly, the rear end thereof is moved upwardly to compress the spring 45. As the seat swings up, the compression on the coil spring 45 increases to brake the upward swing. The coil spring 30 is IIS) preferably heavier than the spring 45, so that a child sitting on the seat 25 will be pushed upwardly.

It will be noted that the springV 45 and the U-shaped members 42, 48 are directly below the board 22, so as not to be in the way of the legs of the child using the seesaw.

The operation of the device will now be explained:

The child sitting on the seesaw grasps the handles 26 for support. The spring 30 normally counterbalances the weight of the child. However, the weight of the child is suificient to bring him down for rotating the board 22 in a clockwise direction and tensioning spring 30.

When the child is down, his feet reach the ground and he pushes himself up slightly. The

upward push by the child's legs, together with the pull of the spring 3B, causes the board 22 to move in a counterclockwise direction. .This rotation is braked by the spring 45, and when the upward push by the child is spent, the compression of the spring 45, coupled with the weight of the child, causes the child to come down for tensioning the spring 3|] to again aid in swinging the child up.

It will thus be seen that there is provided al device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted; to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as Various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting Sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In a seesaw, a base, a post fixed thereto and extending upwardly therefrom, a member pivoted mediately the ends thereof to the upper end of i said post, a bracket attached to the upper side of said base, forwardly of the post, and provided with a lplurality of humped portions, a similar, symmetrically disposed bracket attached to the underside of said pivoted member, and likewise provided with a plurality of humps, a spring interconnecting said brackets and having hooked portions at the ends thereof selectively engaging said humps, a seat on the rear end of said pivoted member, a handle fixed to said pivoted member forwardly of the seat and extending upwardly therefrom, a bracket interconnecting the portion of the base rearwardly of the post, with the upper end of said post, said bracket being formed With an opening, a U-shaped member engaging said opening and having upwardly extending parallel arms formed With downwardly hooked edge portions at their upper ends, an eyelet fixed to the underside of said pivoted member, rearwardly of said post, an inverted U-shaped member on said eyelet and having downwardly extending arms provided at their lower ends with upwardly hooked portions, and a coil compression spring receiving said U-shaped members, and interposed between the hooked shaped portions of the arms of one U-shaped member and the hooked portions of the arms of the other U-shaped member.

' EDWIN J. GUERRIER. 

